Friday, 23 May 2014

'There & Back Again' - A Month of Adventures & Discoveries

At the end
of Lord of the Rings, Samwise Gamgee returns home to The Shire and says,
‘Well, I’m back.' This afternoon, as my train pulled into Piccadilly Sam's words was running through my head. It’s been an absurdly busy few weeks and getting
back home to Manchester from Norwich felt (despite all the fun I’ve been
involved in) like a complete relief.

If getting
home felt great, I still feel like I’ve got loads to process. In the absence of
Albus Dumbledore’s device to dump thoughts, the Pensieve, I’ve decided to write
a short blog post. So here are some thoughts about some of the things I've had the privilege of being involved in over the past month.

Hull & East Riding LGBT Fellowship

At the tail
end of April, Lucy Gorman invited me over to Hull to speak to a meeting of the LGBT
Fellowship she helps run. Quite apart from taking the opportunity to stay with my lovely friends James
& Louise & their family, ‘ull was full of delights. While it was a
privilege to be asked to speak at the Fellowship's post-Easter meeting as well as talk
with Lucy on’t radio, the real highlight was witnessing what committed, out
LGBT Christians can do when they put their minds to it. The work and energy
Lucy and others have put into getting this ace fellowship going is inspiring
and humbling. This is a group I really hope goes from strength to strength.
Sometimes people get the feeling that if you live outside of places like
London, Manchester or Brighton, there’s little on offer for LGBT people. The
Hull group, and the work of the likes of Andy Train & Hull Pride, proves the
lie in that claim.

Iona

I’d never
actually made it to this ‘thin place’ before and, by the time I got up there on
Saturday 3rd May, I was so knackered I wasn’t sure I’d ever want to go
again. Yet, all I can say is that it was a mind-blowing week. I’m not sure I’ll
ever be quite the same again. It was a week of vulnerability, tears, laughter,
challenge and grace. Given the confidential nature of the week I can’t go into
details, but that week on Iona reminded me that it’s the simple, human things
that really matter. Anyone who knows me well knows I’m a show-pony, but
all of that – fun as it is – is pretty brittle. It’s the God who’s shown in
human relationships that really matters. I may have been leading that week up
on Iona, but, in the quality of love and commitment shown by those who came to
the programme, I received far more than I could ever give.

Hertford College, Oxford

I really
don’t get to the dreaming spires enough. As ever, it was fun, charming and
energizing. As chapel worship goes, it has to be said that Hertford is about as
relaxed and welcoming as it gets. While only a fool would claim that Oxford
doesn’t have privilege inscribed in the very walls of its colleges, behind the
money and the facade are still people. The conversations both at (a relatively
low-key) High Table, over drinks after chapel and with Gareth, the chaplain,
were intelligent, honest and humane. I particularly enjoyed chatting to Eden (who I’ve got to know via twitter) and Anna about LGBT stuff, equality and faith, among
other things. It was cool and inspiring to listen to what they’ve been trying
to model in sometimes quite conservative Christian settings.

Asylum Magazine Event, Manchester

I mentioned
this event, ‘Transgender in the Time of Psychiatry’ in my last blog post. The
testimonies and stories shared by attendees were, by turns, moving, shocking
and humbling. The ordinand who’s on placement with me at the mo’ said words to
the effect, ‘I didn’t realize it was so tough. I had no idea.’ Like many people
I guess he thought that if your trans* in the UK, you go tell your GP and the
NHS supports you. But, alas, that’s rarely how it works. I found the evening
challenging to my own categories about the relationship/s between trans identity
and the medical profession. I was struck by how easy it is for institutions and
organizations to mistreat and misunderstand real human stories.

Youth Work Summit (YWS), Manchester

Being a
show-pony I will always love a crowd, even one that – it might be argued – is
potentially pretty hostile. At a purely personal level it’s probably no
surprise that I enjoyed standing up in front of over 800 Youth Workers in order
to ramble on about the connections between LGBT identity, theology and the Bible.
But while speaking at the event was a privilege, that was nothing compared to
sharing a stage with Dan and Alex, two young LGBT Christians, sharing their
testimonies. They had me in tears and left me gobsmacked. I know I wasn’t the
only one. They had genuine presence on stage and did more to change Christian
minds about LGBT stuff than a hundred learned books. They reminded me of how
tough it can still be to be LGBT and Christian (especially if you are in an
evangelical setting), but also showed how much the world is moving and how much
hope there is. The Spirit is doing a new thing. Thanks Dan and Alex for doing
something remarkable by being your selves.

An Evening With Amazing People, Norwich

Having been
nervous about getting pilloried by conservative evangelicals at the YWS, I was
equally worried that secular LGBT people would give me a hard time at this
event sponsored by Norwich & Norfolk Hospital Trust’s LGBT group. However,
I shouldn’t have worried. I forget how generous people are. A hospital trust is
a diverse organization and, even if stories of faith are not at the centre of
what they do, people recognize that ‘faith’ can be a central part of human
identity. The real treat for me was hearing Future Radio presenter Di
Cunningham talk about some amazing LGBT musicians including a new discovery for
me, the extraordinary Gladys Bentley. Having half expected a tough time for
being a vicar (& therefore a representative of ‘the dark side’) I had a great time and was warmly received. It’s time I stopped
making assumptions about how Christians and vicars will be seen by the LGBT
community.

It’s great
to be home, but I’ve had some amazing adventures over the past month. Thanks to
everyone who’s blown my mind, borne with my long-winded pontifications and who’s
shared the love.